Laundry detergent plays a very large role in daily life. With 3 active, free-range kids I am doing laundry daily and I require a good soap that will remove dirt and stains effectively.

Commercial laundry detergent, however, contains many irritating, and potentially toxic ingredients. One of the best-working, most common detergents available is TIDE and even the “free and clear” variety still contains dangerous chemicals that aren’t labelled. Lori at Groovy Green Livin is leading a campaign to convince TIDE to remove these toxins from their “safe” products.

…it turns out that Tide Free & Gentle® isn’t so gentle. A report recently released by Women’s Voices for Earth, Dirty Secrets: What’s Hiding in Your Cleaning Products?found high levels of the cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane in the detergent. 1,4-dioxane doesn’t appear on the product label or on the product website, so consumers have no way of knowing it’s even there.

This is especially concerning, because Tide Free & Gentle® is marketed to moms as a healthier choice for their children’s laundry. Infants and children are more vulnerable to chemical exposures, because their immune, neurological, and hormone systems are still developing.

1,4-dioxane is a known cancer-causing chemical, and has been linked in animal studies to increased risk of breast cancer.

These days I feel more and more like I can’t trust ANY company to tell me the truth about the ingredients in their products, and so I have been searching for a safe, homemade laundry soap recipe where I will at least know what is in the product. I found many recipes that used borax, but am uncomfortable with borax ever since reading that borax, though natural, is toxic in large amounts, can be a skin irritant, and may not be as safe as people originally thought.

My search then changed to a borax-free recipe search. I came across a few, but while searching I also came across some ingredients that will aid in the cleaning process. By combining a number of recipes and adding ingredients I came up with my own recipe.

I labelled each one and let the stains set for 24 hours. Then I washed each piece separately in my front loading HE washing machine on “heavy duty” cycle. I washed one with original TIDE, with an assortment of clean rags. I washed the second one with SOAP NUTS, same setting, same rags. And finally, I washed the third one with my own laundry soap recipe on the same setting and with the same rags. My results demonstrated that the SOAP NUTS did not clean very well in comparison ot the other 2 cleaners.

TIDE appeared to remove a bit more of the ketchup but my detergent appeared to remove the blueberry jam stain better. Both appeared to remove the dirt and oil equally well. While I wasn’t expecting it, I was thrilled to find that my soap was actually competing on a level with TIDE without the dangerous chemicals! The laundry washed with my soap smelled fresh, clean and fragrance-free.

Cost Comparison
Tide Free and Clear costs $8.99 for 40 loads ($0.22 per load) at my local London Drugs and grocery stores. My recipe, according to my calculations with prices based on where I purchase my ingredients (some ingredients could likely be cheaper elsewhere) is $2.24 – $4.47 for 25 loads ($0.09 to $0.18 per load). The range is based on whether or not you use 1 or 2 tbsp. per load.

I was thrilled to discover that I can make a safe, borax-free laundry detergent that cleans clothes very well. Although somewhat cheaper than TIDE, my main satisfaction lies in the ingredients. I KNOW what the ingredients are and I trust them to be safe to use on my family’s clothing.

Can these be used on cloth diapers? I don’t know. Some people say that a soap of any kind will cause diapers to eventually repel liquid. You can try it if you wish, and please let me know what conclusion you arrive at! So what is in your detergent that is actually cleaning your diapers? That’s just it! We don’t know! With this recipe you know exactly what ingredients are being used.

Some homemade cleaning products such as laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent need a desiccant to keep them from clumping together. A desiccant is a little package containing something that is drier than the container it is placed in. The desiccant absorbs the moisture that is in the container, keeping the intended product drier and less clumpy.

I made a simple desiccant by using powdered white clay. Put 2 tbsp. in a thin, child’s sock (or the end of a pair of pantihose) and tie a knot at the end. Place inside airtight container. Replace as needed. Alternatively, you can purchase silica at craft stores, and use the same way. You can also use cheesecloth, place clay or silica in the middle, and tie the ends together to form a little pouch.

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Please do not reproduce whole posts (for example, tutorials) from my site without permission. I'm happy to share my efforts and pictures if you just choose ONE picture to link back to the post along with one or two paragraphs which would invite the reader to follow the link to my post. Thanks! -Free Range Mama